So I did something again this morning that I dislike probably more than anything I do related to this ministry. I sorted through the contents of eight boxes. Clothing that belonged to a fellow who left this earth about a year ago. We met his family at a memorial service for one of our friends that passed away last fall. They found out what we do in this thing and mentioned that they’d like to donate his clothing to the homeless. So a couple weeks ago, this fellow’s brother shows up at my house with 8 boxes of clothing. And said there would probably be more. I cannot explain the feelings I had at 7:30 this morning, in my garage as I opened up each individual box and sorted the various items of clothing into our containers. "Why" kept coming up for sure. Why? I believe they said this guy was in his early 40s when he took his life. Why? How do we get to the point that we decide to end it all? How? So I’m going through the boxes, wondering how in the world his mother had the strength to pack this all up and get it to us? How does a mother do that? Part of me was angry at a fellow I didn’t even know. And I realized once again how quickly someone we love can be gone. Either taken from us or just taken. And this story was pretty sad, as if any story of this magnitude wouldn’t be. He took his life in his mother’s home and she happened to be the one who found him. I cannot imagine. No way to understand something like that. No way.
And then I go downtown today and see our friends. The weather has been very unseasonably warm here lately, so I expected a pretty decent crowd today. And that’s what we got. Lots of people. New faces. Old faces. I met Howard from New York City. I noticed him in the line as I was doing my normal schmoozing and glad handing. It’s probably one of my favorite times of the day. Walking through the line and shaking hands, getting hugs, just seeing everyone again. All good. So I first saw Howard in the line. Very well dressed. He said he saw us setting up and wondered what we were doing. Turns out he works for an airline and was just killing time. Said he loved the food. And he does some similar ministry type work in NYC. He was impressed with what God was doing on that corner. I am more than impressed. Blown away is a more apt phrase for me. So I saw lots of old faces and a few new ones also.
Another old friend was back again today. He’d been away for awhile and came back last week for the first time in quite a while. He’s a guy that I really love. He’s been around on and off since we first started going down to that corner. In fact he introduced me to the Office, that place in the middle of the park where some of our friends used to ply their wares, so to speak. So normally when we don’t see him for extended periods, it usually means that he is either in jail or he is ducking the police Gestapo that patrols the park area harassing the homeless folks. Now don’t get me wrong, our friends do enough to get into plenty of trouble on their own, but sometimes it seems maybe a little power goes to a guy’s head. The term harassment definitely comes to mind. So anyway, our friend has been free of any legal issues for a couple of weeks and has been back to see us the past couple of weeks. He’s just a guy that both Robin and I have become very fond of. He has the obvious drinking problem. As do lots of our friends. But this guy, from the first time we met him, has seemed to want to do something to change that. Just doesn’t know how. Been through various forms and methods of treatment over the years, just none effective enough to get him to where he needs to be. Or maybe he just wasn’t ready to be done yet. I mean a person has to want to be done with that lifestyle and make a commitment and even then it’s a battle. To put it mildly.
Today on the way downtown, Robin and I were discussing this fellow. How could we help? I mean if we don’t isn’t he on his way out of here anyway. Literally and figuratively? It’s really no different than a fellow taking his life in an immediate manner via an overdose or whatever other method a person might choose. Just a much slower and more painful way to go. To the guy inflicting the pain upon himself and those on the outside watching. If a fellow shows up at the emergency room with a .5 blood alcohol content level, he’s pretty close to doing the deed anyway right? The legal level in Nebraska is .08. So a .5? Are you kidding me? Well, we are supposed to hear from our friend this week about a plan to get things turned around. That’s the first step. Making that phone call. Next step? Who knows? We’ll cross that bridge later. We have to take it a baby step at a time. And God help us, I hope and pray it’s not already too late.
This is something I’m going to lift straight from one of my daily devotionals from this past week. I guess it sums up a lot of things I was feeling today. Some of the words are a little harsh and I probably would have written it a little differently, but the meat of the message fits what I feel on occasion.
Have you been let down, disappointed and thoroughly disgusted with the people who you have tried to help? Has your experience affected your desire to want to get involved again? In other words, why help someone who is just going to make waste of all your effort, right? Wrong! An appropriate heart for service is to the Lord, not man. Man may be the recipient, but the author is God. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
Peace, have a great and blessed week and make a difference.
…it matters to that one… :)
And then I go downtown today and see our friends. The weather has been very unseasonably warm here lately, so I expected a pretty decent crowd today. And that’s what we got. Lots of people. New faces. Old faces. I met Howard from New York City. I noticed him in the line as I was doing my normal schmoozing and glad handing. It’s probably one of my favorite times of the day. Walking through the line and shaking hands, getting hugs, just seeing everyone again. All good. So I first saw Howard in the line. Very well dressed. He said he saw us setting up and wondered what we were doing. Turns out he works for an airline and was just killing time. Said he loved the food. And he does some similar ministry type work in NYC. He was impressed with what God was doing on that corner. I am more than impressed. Blown away is a more apt phrase for me. So I saw lots of old faces and a few new ones also.
Another old friend was back again today. He’d been away for awhile and came back last week for the first time in quite a while. He’s a guy that I really love. He’s been around on and off since we first started going down to that corner. In fact he introduced me to the Office, that place in the middle of the park where some of our friends used to ply their wares, so to speak. So normally when we don’t see him for extended periods, it usually means that he is either in jail or he is ducking the police Gestapo that patrols the park area harassing the homeless folks. Now don’t get me wrong, our friends do enough to get into plenty of trouble on their own, but sometimes it seems maybe a little power goes to a guy’s head. The term harassment definitely comes to mind. So anyway, our friend has been free of any legal issues for a couple of weeks and has been back to see us the past couple of weeks. He’s just a guy that both Robin and I have become very fond of. He has the obvious drinking problem. As do lots of our friends. But this guy, from the first time we met him, has seemed to want to do something to change that. Just doesn’t know how. Been through various forms and methods of treatment over the years, just none effective enough to get him to where he needs to be. Or maybe he just wasn’t ready to be done yet. I mean a person has to want to be done with that lifestyle and make a commitment and even then it’s a battle. To put it mildly.
Today on the way downtown, Robin and I were discussing this fellow. How could we help? I mean if we don’t isn’t he on his way out of here anyway. Literally and figuratively? It’s really no different than a fellow taking his life in an immediate manner via an overdose or whatever other method a person might choose. Just a much slower and more painful way to go. To the guy inflicting the pain upon himself and those on the outside watching. If a fellow shows up at the emergency room with a .5 blood alcohol content level, he’s pretty close to doing the deed anyway right? The legal level in Nebraska is .08. So a .5? Are you kidding me? Well, we are supposed to hear from our friend this week about a plan to get things turned around. That’s the first step. Making that phone call. Next step? Who knows? We’ll cross that bridge later. We have to take it a baby step at a time. And God help us, I hope and pray it’s not already too late.
This is something I’m going to lift straight from one of my daily devotionals from this past week. I guess it sums up a lot of things I was feeling today. Some of the words are a little harsh and I probably would have written it a little differently, but the meat of the message fits what I feel on occasion.
Have you been let down, disappointed and thoroughly disgusted with the people who you have tried to help? Has your experience affected your desire to want to get involved again? In other words, why help someone who is just going to make waste of all your effort, right? Wrong! An appropriate heart for service is to the Lord, not man. Man may be the recipient, but the author is God. 1 Peter 4:10-11 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
Peace, have a great and blessed week and make a difference.
…it matters to that one… :)
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